Obama tells Putin US intends to consider further nuclear arms cuts

U.S. President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin he intends to return to the issue of further nuclear arms cuts in the two countries, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday, June 19. “President Obama informed our president in general terms that the Americans would be ready to continue certain steps towards further nuclear arms cuts after working out some internal issues,” the aide said. However the Kremlin believes that all countries that possess nuclear weapons should be engaged in this process. “The situation now is far from what it was in the 1960s-1970s when only the United States and the Soviet Union conducted negotiations on the reduction of their nuclear arsenals,” Ushakov said. He believes that now it is necessary to take a broader look at this issue and enlarge the circle of countries involved in the process. Putin stressed the need to take measures that will preserve the strategic deterrence system in the world.